Tips for Birders
Learn to identify species, choose the birding right gear, support conservation, and more.
Getting Started
Top 10 Tips for Better Bird Watching
Anyone can see a bird. Just go outside and look around. No matter where you are you should see birds. Bird watchers…
Getting Started in Birding (or how to become a bird watcher without even trying)
If you are one of the millions of people who watched the movie The Big Year and thought “Hey, I think I’ll…
How To: Avoiding Binocular “Warbler Neck”
With proper technique, your birding can be a source of great joy, rather than a pain in the neck. Birders joke about…
Staying Safe While Birding
Whether you live in a rural area, in the suburbs, or in a major metropolitan city, most of us have put safety…
Keeping a Bird Watching Journal
It is said that the difference between a person who simply enjoys nature and a true naturalist is that a naturalist keeps…
What is a Field Guide?
The first step towards becoming a birder is getting your hands on a good field guide. A field guide is a collection…
Why Do We Bird?
Why do we bird? Is it our hunting instinct sublimated? Could it be that our penchant for collecting is being positively perverted?…
Resources for Young Birders
Two young birders study the Young Birder’s Guide by Bill Thompson, III. Join a Bird Club! Joining a club is one of…
Choosing and Using Binoculars
Young birder with binoculars. Photo by Bill Thompson, III. Choosing your binoculars Every birder needs binoculars. If you’re lucky you might be…
Bird Species
Acadian Flycatcher
Look for Song is often an important clue in identifying the little gray and greenish flycatchers. In the South, the Acadian is…
Acorn Woodpecker
Look for Loud, active, and boldly marked, the acorn woodpecker is hard to miss. Both males and females are black-backed and have…
Allen’s Hummingbird
Native to the Pacific Coast from southern California to southwestern Oregon, the 3 ¾-inch Allen’s hummingbird sports a bronze-green back and flame-colored…
American Avocet
Look For The graceful curves of the American avocet’s bill and neck serve it well as it feeds while walking along, sweeping…
American Bittern
Look for American bitterns are a plump, medium-seized wading bird with a stout neck and a bill that has a heavy base….
American Black Duck
Look For The black duck is a medium-sized dabbling duck with a dark charcoal body. Males and females are very similar, though…
American Coot
What Does an American Coot Look Like? What looks like a duck and acts like a duck, but is not a duck?…
American Crow
Look for An unrelieved glossy black from bill to toenail, crows are armed with a stout, strong bill that acts as a…
American Goldfinch
Look For The bright canary-yellow and black plumage of the breeding male American goldfinch has earned this species the nickname “wild canary.”…
Birding Optics & Gear
Merlin 101: As Easy as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
I have several birding apps on my phone, but there is only one that I really use, and I use it almost…
The Well-Equipped Birder: One Size Doesn’t Always Fit All
by Chuck Jakubchak RYO Ultra-Light Bino Harness, available at Redstart Birding. I have used a traditional bino harness for several years but…
Binocular Myths: Debunking the Legends
When you are shopping around for an important purchase, it’s frustrating to find that the people who have the goods don’t know…
What is a Field Guide?
The first step towards becoming a birder is getting your hands on a good field guide. A field guide is a collection…
How To: Avoiding Binocular “Warbler Neck”
With proper technique, your birding can be a source of great joy, rather than a pain in the neck. Birders joke about…
Choosing and Using Binoculars
Young birder with binoculars. Photo by Bill Thompson, III. Choosing your binoculars Every birder needs binoculars. If you’re lucky you might be…
The Well-Equipped Birder: Bino Dock Keeps Optics Handy
Sometimes, when one is hustling to get to work or an appointment, a streak of feathery color zips in front of the…
The Swarovski NL Pure 8×32: An Unboxing
If any of you out there spend any significant time with young children, you are probably familiar with the YouTube phenomenon of…
Buying Optics for Children? Here are a Few Tips!
Shopping for optics for a young, budding bird watcher comes with its own unique set of challenges. Do you choose very inexpensive…
Bird Conservation
Aftermath: The Gulf Oil Spill
What are the short- and long-term effects? Whenever the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the coast of…
Bird Conservation at Home
If all bird watchers simply performed one of these solutions, we would still save the lives of millions of our favorite birds…
Christmas Bird Counting
A long-standing program sponsored by the National Audubon Society, the Christmas Bird Count takes place each winter from December 14 to January…
Commentary: The Ivory-bill, Found
A team of ornithologists organized by Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology has rediscovered at least one male ivory-billed woodpecker, alive and well and…
Help for Migratory Birds: The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation [Duck] Stamp
In addition to waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans), many other birds have benefited directly from stamp revenues. Among them are waterbirds (like…
Protecting the Sandhill Crane
Does the state of Tennessee really need to open a season on sandhill cranes? by Julie Zickefoose Those of you who read…
Rare Bird Focus: The Endangered Kirtland’s Warbler
The endangered Kirtland’s warbler is one of the rarest members of the wood warbler (Parulidae) family. It is a fascinating bird for…
Rediscovery: The Golden-crowned Manakin
In terms of biodiversity, no other wilderness area can compete with the Amazonian Rainforest. Amazonia is the vast region of intricate rainforest…
Saving the Wakarusa Wetlands
Saving the Wakarusa Wetlands: Land Development and the Project to Mitigate its Impact by Dave McDermott, excerpted from the November/December 2010 issue…
Young Birders
Your Bird Questions Answered: Flight and Migration
Canada geese in migration. How do birds fly? How fast do they fly? And where do birds sleep? These are all good…
Buying Optics for Children? Here are a Few Tips!
Shopping for optics for a young, budding bird watcher comes with its own unique set of challenges. Do you choose very inexpensive…
Your Questions Answered: Interesting Bird Facts
Red-headed woodpecker, photo by Bill Thompson, III. Why do woodpeckers peck on trees? How do owls see at night? How long does…
Book Note: Dreams of Zugunruhe by Michael Kinsey
Dreams of Zugunruhe by Michael C. Kinsey, Ph.D. As a writer, editor, and all-around language lover, I am always delighted to come…
It’s National Moth Week!
Photo by J. Melfi. One of the many (many, many…) side effects of becoming a birder is that once you start noticing…
A Snowy Surprise
“Snowy Owls” by Niccolo. Photo by J. Melfi. My eight-year-old son is a rising birder, and he often surprises me with various…
You Know You’re a Bird Nerd When…
BWD Assistant Editor Jessica Melfi and son dissect an owl pellet. Last winter during our annual Christmas Bird Count in southeastern Ohio,…
Resources for Young Birders
Two young birders study the Young Birder’s Guide by Bill Thompson, III. Join a Bird Club! Joining a club is one of…
Where Do Birds Go At Night?
Before falling asleep, most birds seek shelter from predators and weather. This is vital to their survival because a sleeping bird is…
Frequently Asked Bird Questions
Aftermath: The Gulf Oil Spill
What are the short- and long-term effects? Whenever the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the coast of…
Bird Conservation at Home
If all bird watchers simply performed one of these solutions, we would still save the lives of millions of our favorite birds…
Christmas Bird Counting
A long-standing program sponsored by the National Audubon Society, the Christmas Bird Count takes place each winter from December 14 to January…
Commentary: The Ivory-bill, Found
A team of ornithologists organized by Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology has rediscovered at least one male ivory-billed woodpecker, alive and well and…
Help for Migratory Birds: The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation [Duck] Stamp
In addition to waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans), many other birds have benefited directly from stamp revenues. Among them are waterbirds (like…
Protecting the Sandhill Crane
Does the state of Tennessee really need to open a season on sandhill cranes? by Julie Zickefoose Those of you who read…
Rare Bird Focus: The Endangered Kirtland’s Warbler
The endangered Kirtland’s warbler is one of the rarest members of the wood warbler (Parulidae) family. It is a fascinating bird for…
Rediscovery: The Golden-crowned Manakin
In terms of biodiversity, no other wilderness area can compete with the Amazonian Rainforest. Amazonia is the vast region of intricate rainforest…
Saving the Wakarusa Wetlands
Saving the Wakarusa Wetlands: Land Development and the Project to Mitigate its Impact by Dave McDermott, excerpted from the November/December 2010 issue…
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